DeRidder man moving on to next level

Trea Trapp said he did not expect to beat out the 70 contestants who auditioned for the KVHP-TV Lake Charles Idol singing
competition.

Trapp earned a guaranteed audition Aug. 27 in New Orleans in front of the “American Idol” executive producers. He will also
have a chance to meet the judges — Keith Urban, Jennifer Lopez and Harry Connick Jr.

The 26-year-old DeRidder native said he started singing when he was 4 years old and grew up singing gospel music and R&B.
During his audition, Trapp sang songs by artists like John Legend and Rascal Flatts.

“I am overjoyed and overwhelmed,” he said. “I’m going to definitely try to get that spot on the ‘American Idol’ stage and
represent Lake Charles.”

One of the three judges was Michael Sarver, a Jasper, Texas, native who finished 10th in the show’s eighth season in 2009.
Sarver said all of the singers “gave what they had,” and that some shocked him “by how they sang versus how they looked.”

“There were a lot of people that did well,” he said. “It’s pretty clear that south Louisiana has got some pretty severe talent.”

The other two judges were Dominique Meyer, who sings in the local band Flamethrowers, and Matthew Moss, a local musician and
music producer. Meyer said that being a judge was “really fun” and “a little bit strange.”

“There haven’t been many situations where I’ve had to judge somebody else on their vocal ability,” she said.

A new twist on this year’s auditions was that the judges gave contestants feedback on their performances. “That’s what I wanted
to happen, and I don’t think anyone was left feeling defeated or having their feelings hurt,” Meyer said.

Sofia Simancas, promotions director for KVHP, said the station has hosted the local Idol competition since 2010. “Being part
of this process is just digging in a gold mine trying to find that person who has what it takes,” she said.

Garrett Laughlin placed second in the competition, and Jasmine Abel placed third.